Broadway musical ‘A Christmas Story’ to hit the Beau Rivage stage this holiday season

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV) — The iconic Broadway show, “A Christmas Story,” is coming to the Beau Rivage stage this holiday season. We first brought you a behind the scenes look at auditions, but now that the cast is final, they’re hard at work perfecting the show.

The 1980’s “A Christmas Story” will hit the Beau Rivage stage in musical form come December 12. We sat down with Executive Producer Jeb Rand who says this is a show you don’t want to miss.

“We’ve all seen it. It’s the ‘I shoot your eye out’ movie, Flick getting his tongue stuck on the pole, Scut Farkus and Dill — the two bad guys — they’re all in the show. So, if you like the movie, the whole thing has been brought to life, on stage, on Broadway,” said Rand. “This is such an incredibly talented group of people. We’re right on schedule. I’m blown away. I’m humbled with the level that’s come out. The talent level, the energy in the room already, without anybody in the seats, is off the charts.”

If you’ve seen the movie, you know the star of the show is Ralphie Parker. Well, 11-year-old Charlie Palmer secured the lead, marking his first role in a professional production.

“I love how all these people can come together from around the country and interact to create one giant, big production of greatness, and funny, and comedic, and all the different feelings you would ever have watching a musical. Especially a musical like A Christmas Story. Everyone knows it. It’s probably one of the most iconic movies ever,” said Palmer.

We asked Palmer how it feels to have been chosen out of over 600 kids who auditioned for the production.

“Everyone is talented. Anyone can be talented. It’s the way that you use that talent to make yourself stand out and be different,” Palmer said. “The fact that Mr. Jeb saw the difference in me is a big, big honor, so that he trusts me with this part, and he understands that I am capable of doing this. It’s a very, very big honor, so thank you so much, Mr. Jeb.”

When auditions came to The Beau’s stage just a few months ago, two kids from this region were set to receive offers, but Rand says the talent was so amazing, he chose five. We spoke with a few of those kids who say this is the biggest stage they have ever performed on, and its all a dream come true.

“I just want to say I’m really grateful that I’m here, because at the auditions there were so many kids, and I was like ‘Oh gosh.’ And then I got to the next callback and they told me that I got it and I was like… ‘What?’ And now I’m actually here,” said Anna Kramer from New Orleans, La.

“It’s been great. It’s definitely a new experience for me playing Scut Farkus because I’m not actually a bully in real life, and getting to step outside of my comfort zone, and getting to step into a new world of character, and playing the antagonist of the show has been really great,” said Carter Hale Jr. from Mobile, Ala. “I love getting to work with all these very talented people right here, and the rest of the kids, and cast, and all of the adults. It’s been amazing getting to step into a new world of theatre and make my dreams come true.”

“I’m feeling super excited, but at the same time kind of nervous, because it’s a huge stage and there’s 1,000 people, but I’m super excited,” said Kate Legendre from Gray, La.

The show will run from December 12-27. Click here to purchase tickets. VIP packages are also available for purchase, which will get you a swag bag and backstage access to meet the cast after the show.